#CrowdSource: What Was the First Tech Gift You Remember Receiving?

We could have gone with “what your first tech gift says about you,” but it’s almost Christmas already.

There comes a time in a kid’s life when the wishlist evolves from past dolls and dump trucks to games and gadgets.

It’s a refinement of interest, and taste. Rather than ask Santa for presents that speak when you spin the wheel/squeeze the paw/push the button, we request gifts of a higher order. Some are electronic; others, battery-powered.

All, though, signal our graduation from toys we’re still likely to chew on at some juncture, to those that require dexterity and thought.

I asked social media connections to share with Tech Life the first tech gift they remember unwrapping for the holidays. The answers spanned generations and complexities. Here’s what they came up with.

A “U Drive-it”... it was a plastic box with interchangeable boards and had a steering wheel and little car that you could drive around (magnet on the underside of the board). HEY!! That was techy back in the 70’s! – Karin E.

Lite Brite. I had a dollhouse that when you pushed the doorbell it had an actual little bell inside that got dinged.– Sandy K.

Atari. – Danielle R.

Does a record player count? – Jessica Z.

110mm camera? Sega game gear? – Chrissy W.

Intellivision! I feel like it must’ve been cheaper than Atari or else…WHY WOULDN’T WE HAVE GOTTEN AN ATARI? 😉– Ashley A.

When I was about 13 I got a Sega Genesis for Christmas. This was about 1995. By far the coolest thing I could’ve gotten at that point in time. A few years ago I received Nook for Christmas. That was really cool too.– Jon H.

Manual Typewriter. – Tammy R.

A digital calculator. – Kira J.

Merlin. – Sherri B.

A Walkman! – Jennifer H.

Does the game “Operation” count? – Laura P.

From Instagram

Pac-man mini arcade. 1982 I think. This is probably not what you mean at all, is it? 😂 We got a VCR as a family gift in ’87. Our first one. We also got our first microwave that year. My dad still uses both. – gingerettanoel